1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a learning apparatus and, more particularly, to a learning apparatus using audio teaching material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional LL (language laboratory) system, audio material is used as teaching material, and a tape recorder is used to record and playback the audio teaching material.
Such audio teaching material is recorded on a tape in a one-dimensional sequential form, for example, as shown in FIG. 1A, and a desired portion thereof is reproduced in response to an operation of the tape recorder such as forward, reverse or other operation. In FIGS. 1A, UA, UB, UC, UD and UE denote units of the audio teaching material recorded on the tape, and these units UA, UB, UC, UD and UE form a linear teaching element T.
However, the use of a tape recorder for recording and reproducing audio teaching material involves the following problems, the solution of which has been desired.
(1) It is difficult to access notes and articles related to a certain reproduced portion where the related material is recorded at a distant position. For example, as shown in FIG. 1C, when a user wants to access a related article UA0 of the unit UA of the audio teaching material which is recorded elsewhere, access thereto takes time and may be troublesome.
(2) On the other hand, where the notes and related articles are immediately adjacent to the appropriate teaching material, access to other units of audio teaching material is time consuming and troublesome. For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, when a user wants to access to the unit UB just after the unit UA of the audio teaching material, the related article UA0, which is recorded subsequently to the unit UA, disturbs the desired access, causing the user to expend time and effort to locate the next unit UB.
(3) It is difficult to add notes and related articles to the teaching material.
(4) In the case of language study, it is difficult to compare and make reference among a plurality of languages relating to the same substance.
The use of a memory as storing means is shown, for example, by Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-889 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 59-224897, which disclose proposals of the present Applicant. However, these known systems do not teach positioning a certain reproduced item of audio teaching material and notes or articles related thereto in a related manner so as to enable easy and quick access to each of them as described above, and an improvement has been desired for the use of a tape recorder.